Existing Conditions Assessment August 18, 2016 1
Overview Existing Conditions Assessments 1 2 3 4 Site Conditions Land Use + Zoning Market Transportation + Parking Opportunities and Constraints 2
Site Conditions: Context 3
Site Conditions: Topography and Soils Gently sloping site rises approximately 15 feet from North Main Street and Riverside Avenue to the Pan-Am railroad line Steep grades on North Main Street in the vicinity of Laurel Street and Riverside Avenue near old McDonald s site. Limits street-fronting buildings and entry from North Main Street and Riverside Avenue Leveling the site is cost prohibitive On-site soils consist of 10 feet of urban fill material overlying 5 feet of sand stratum that overlies glacial till. Steep Slopes The sand stratum can support slabs-on-grade and low foundation loads but for higher foundation loads it is recommended that footings be placed within the glacial till. Groundwater depths range from 16 to 21 below grade. Depending on depths of proposed building footings and utility trenches ground water may be encountered and require construction dewatering. Bedrock was not encountered during exploration, however boulders and cobbles are present Site is not in a flood zone 4
Topographic Constraints City Hall Former CVS 5
Site Conditions: Drainage North Creek Conduit Built in 1960. Approximately 12.5 high by 14 wide Runs the length of the site along North Main Street before joining Pequabuck River conduit on Riverside Avenue Limits ability for buildings to be placed directly along North Main Street south of Laurel Street Limits development options on the southwestern corner of the site North Creek Conduit Pequabuck River Conduit Runs under Riverside Avenue from Riverview Apartments to just east of Main Street. All runoff from site flows into conduit Off-site no impact to development On-Site Storm Drainage Little stormwater infrastructure from mall remains What remains does not incorporate water quality controls and needs to be replaced Low Impact Development (LID) site design and stormwater management practices should be considered going forward Pequabuck River Conduit 6
Site Conditions: Utilities Water Adequate capacity and availability of public water to support future development. Water lines that formerly served the mall are believed to be abandoned and can be removed Sanitary Sewer Previous assessment indicated that sanitary sewer capacity is adequate for non-industrial uses. Gas Gas service available and adequate Gas lines that formerly served the mall have been abandoned and can be removed Gas line just south of new McDonald s site must remain in place Electrical + Communications Fiber optic lines run through southwest corner of the site must remain in place. 7
Site Conditions: Easements Easements for utilities and conduits limit where buildings can be placed on the site Mix of City-held, utility-held, and privately held easements Some easements affiliated with former development on Bristol Centre Mall site. City should work with its corporation counsel to determine which easements can be abandoned and process to do so. 20 conduit easement (City of Bristol) 12 electrical easement Drainage easement (City of Bristol) Utility easement (City of Bristol) 15 Electrical easement (CL&P) 15 Gas easement (CL&P) 10 electrical easement (City of Bristol) McDonald s joint agreement easement Source: Clough Harbour & Associates, 2008 8
Site Conditions: Takeaways Steep slopes, buried conduits, and utility easements influence where buildings can be placed on the site. Utilities (water, sanitary sewer, gas, electric) are all adequate to support future development. Several abandoned utility lines associated with Bristol Centre Mall can be removed. Storm drainage improvements will be made as the site is developed. Since the site is currently paved, down-stream infrastructure is adequate to handle peak runoff. Further evaluation of environmental conditions and constraints may be necessary Several old easements associated with Bristol Centre Mall on site City should begin abandonment process 9
Land Use and Zoning Zoning Regulations Entire site is in the BD-1 (Downtown Business District 1). Most retail, service, institutional, and office uses are permitted. Residential uses are permitted on upper floors only, except on the interior of the site, where they may occupy part of the ground floor. Form-based regulations establish a development framework that complements existing buildings on Main Street and North Main Street However, some regulations, notably the 10 foot maximum build-to line, may conflict with the site s constraints (conduits, easements, and steep slopes) in some locations. Unified Downtown Development Project (UDDP) is a floating zone that provides more flexible regulations for site design/building placement on large sites. 10
Land Use and Zoning Existing Land Use Nearby commercial nodes on Main Street, North Main Street, and at Route 69/72 in the West End. Arterial commercial (big box) prevalent on Route 6, just north of study area. West End and Federal Hill neighborhoods are the highest density residential areas in Bristol - within walking distance to study area. Rail line limits connections to Federal Hill. Many disjointed land uses on Riverside Avenue are a poor gateway to Downtown. 11
Market Assessment Residential Market Review of Goman & York Assessment (2014) A majority of housing in Downtown Bristol and core residential neighborhoods are a renter-occupied Rental vacancy rate: 14.5% - more than double the vacancy rate of Connecticut and the City of Bristol as a whole Median Contract Rent: $663 per month 95% of renters in the Downtown area pay less than $1,000 per month. 75% of renters pay less than $800 per month. High residential vacancy rate and low rents are is indicative of weak market demand for new housing units at the present time. 12
Market Assessment Retail Market Significant low to moderate income population in Downtown and core neighborhoods, combined with weak residential market limits expansion of neighborhood-supported retail in the near-term. Site needs to attract people from other parts of Bristol and surrounding communities Low traffic volumes compared to other nearby locations (Route 6, Route 229, Route 10 in Southington) make it difficult to recruit national chain retailers. Proposed Bristol Hospital development is an opportunity to build critical mass Spillover impacts will be determined once final building size and number of workers is confirmed The hospital alone may not catalyze retail development in Downtown. Increased programming of site can help attract and support businesses Surplus/Leakage Assessment: The population within a 5 minute drive of Centre Square experiences a retail leakage of nearly $71 million annually. Specialty retailers have the highest leakage, including car dealerships, electronics & appliance stores, and department stores. In order to capture retail leakage, Downtown Bristol needs to be more competitive with commercial areas on Route 6, and in Southington, Plainville, and West Hartford. Awaiting information on Bristol Hospital to gauge impact of proposed medical office building on surrounding retail establishments 13
Transportation: Traffic Riverside Ave Route 6 at Maple North Main north of Center ADT: 8,600 vehicles per day Very wide right of way six lanes on southern end of site. Originally built to serve the Mall Lots of unneeded road space ADT: 20,200 vehicles per day One through lane in each direction plus turning lanes Narrow traffic lanes (10 feet) ADT: 11,800 vehicles per day One lane in each direction (plus turning lanes at intersections) Wide traffic lanes (13+ feet) On street parking and raised medians slow traffic 14
Transportation: Bike & Pedestrian Main Street North Main at Laurel North Main north of Center 20 foot sidewalks good condition Street trees and planters offer pleasant pedestrian environment On street parking buffers pedestrians from traffic Bump outs shorten crosswalks 8 foot sidewalks fair condition No on street parking or separation from traffic Long crossing distances No street trees 8 foot sidewalks Street trees and planters offer pleasant pedestrian environment On street parking buffers pedestrians from traffic Bump outs shorten crosswalks 15
Parking Public Parking Centre Square site currently has 1,490 parking spaces. Mostly unused maximum occupancy of 120 spaces Concentrated across street from City Hall and Main Street businesses 705 other public parking spaces in Downtown Bristol Public parking most heavily used in morning and early afternoon (10AM to 2PM) If all parking on Centre Square site was removed, public parking would operate between at 60% of capacity ample spaces based on current uses Private Parking Over 4,400 private parking spaces in the Downtown area Maximum occupancy of 33% - highest occupancy in morning and early afternoon (10AM to 2PM) Public Parking in Downtown Bristol Public Parking in Downtown Bristol # of Spaces Public - 1 & 2 Hr 30 Public - 1 Hr 104 Public - 2 Hr 128 Public - 2 Hr/Unrestricted 22 Public - 30 Min 13 Public - Restricted 146 Public - Unrestricted 255 Public - Unrestricted/ 30 Min 8 Subtotal 706 Centre Square Site 1490 Total 2196 16
Parking Businesses on Main Street and North Main Street rely on surface parking on the Centre Square site If parking areas are relocated, coordination with existing businesses is crucial Parking area used by City Hall, Police Station, and Post Office visitors Parking area used by Main Street Businesses 17
Transportation: Bus and Rail 18
Transportation: Takeaways Low traffic volumes on Main Street and North Main Street compared to other commercial corridors in Bristol (Route 6, Route 229) contribute to retail market challenges Road network does not naturally funnel traffic into Downtown many vehicles bypass downtown altogether. Excess lane capacity relative to traffic volume in several locations (Riverside Ave, North Main Street south of Center) excess road space should be repurposed (street parking, bike lanes, plaza space, etc.) Opportunity to connect North Main Street and Main Street streetscape designs through the site CTFastrak service provides good connections to Hartford and New Britain labor markets potential benefit for employers looking to relocate to site. However, bus service remains limited in the remainder of Bristol Bristol is a driving city ample and conveniently located parking is crucial to the successful redevelopment of the site. Ample parking based on today s needs future parking demand will be assessed later in the study. 19
Ongoing Projects Route 6 Study Route 69/72 Intersection Improvements Bristol Hospital Memorial Boulevard Bike Lanes MBS Theater Project 20
Public Outreach 21
Preliminary Survey Results Good range of age groups need to bolster numbers in under 35 groups About half of respondents have lived in Bristol their whole live 22
Preliminary Survey Results: Density The Right Density: 73.4% Too Dense: 54.9% Not Dense Enough: 85.1% 23
Preliminary Survey Results: Design Least Favorite Designs 23.2% Favorite 10.6% Favorite 4.4% Favorite 31.5% Favorite 32.2% Favorite Favorite Designs 24
Opportunities Create a programmatic destination while development occurs organically- phased development approach with non-developed parcel(s) open for public passive recreational opportunities Road diets on perimeter streets improve access and/ or create on-street parking opportunities Buildings placed on the elevated portion of the site afford great views of surrounding hillsides Because of the existing utilities along North Main Street, siting the buildings back into the site increases pedestrian space along the roadway, creating wide greenspace opportunities not normally seen in downtown areas Diversity of adjacent land uses could encourage different development options (ie. lunches for employees and dinner/ shopping for residential neighbors) Encourage users of CTFastrak and local busses to use the site consider an on-site transit amenities 25
Constraints Rental Vacancy Rate of 14.5% and low rents limit the potential for new residential development Low critical mass to support new retail and service establishments. Challenging demographics to draw in national and regional retailers. Activity generators in Bristol are disconnected from the Downtown. Local transportation system fails to naturally funnel vehicles into the downtown. 26
Next Steps Second Community Engagement Event on Saturday, August 20 th from 10 AM to 12:30 PM at the West End Summer Festival Continue survey through West End Summer Festival Site layout concepts continue to seek public input and refine Preliminary design of site infrastructure (roads, streetscapes, etc.) Formal Public Workshop in late-september 27
Questions? 28